Stop sterilising before a year?

[Dizzywhore]

My son will be 10.5 months when we go away and I'm thinking of stopping sterilising to make life easier. Lots of my friends say it will be fine but I'm not sure.
Also to young for cows milk?

[sleepyhead]

There's little point in sterilizing (imo) once they're crawling and putting all sorts in their mouths

As far as bottles go anyway, thorough cleaning with hot, soapy water, so right into the crevices to catch all milk residue is enough once past the newborn stage.

10.5 months is a bit young for cows milk as a main drink, but only just. If it was just for a holiday then it'd be fine - the main reason is vitamin/mineral levels not being so high.

[HarrietSchulenberg]

As Sleepyhead said, once they're crawling and putting things in their mouths sterilizing is not necessary.

Good wash in hot, soapy water, rinse in hot water, leave to air dry.

[Dizzywhore]

Thanks! Yeah I thought it's to early for cows milk really.

[YouMakeMyHeartSmile]

We had stopped sterilising by then. Just wash thoroughly and carefully with hot soapy water, making sure all milk residue is removed.

[drspouse]

We have sterilised religiously till 12 months as I don't trust myself to remove all the milk, especially when on holiday with no proper kitchen etc. but use the microwave bags or the cold water bags.

Shoes, even if chewed, are not as good at growing bugs as milk is.

[sleepyhead]

Bottles with milk residue left in them will not be sterile - sterilisation isn't a substitute for thorough cleaning.

[CloserToFiftyThanTwenty]

We sterilised until the microwave broke at about 7 months

[Gileswithachainsaw]

I gave up sterilising after dd started eating pet food and bugs. seemed little point

[BucketFullOfDinosaurs]

We were told you only need to sterilise until 6 months; after that just wash things well in hot, soapy water. DS (8 mo) puts so much random stuff straight into his mouth anyway that there doesn't seem to be much point sterilising!

Cow's milk is not recommended as a main drink until after 12 months, but you can use it in cooking, cereals etc before then.

[Dizzywhore]

Thanks all!

[squizita]

I use a dishwasher! After 6 months it's safe to just do that.

[drspouse]

squizita where did you read that?

You can sterilise in the dishwasher with any age as far as I know but it needs to be on very hot. geek DH we worked out that it was cheaper to buy and run a steriliser, plus you don't have to wait for the dishwasher to finish.

[squizita]

GP and HV told me - remember this is after six months. Also in Australia it's the done thing too. A regular hot cycle on a reasonably new machine is definitely hot enough to effectively steam clean everything (think about that steam-a-whole-salmon thing ... and I've burned my hand putting something in mid cycle in the past) and isn't actually that expensive if you have one anyway.

Seeing as bar formula prep (dd is bf) you don't have to sterilise at all after 6 months it's safe enough.

[Stubbed]

I switched to cow's milk about that age, mainly because my dc wouldn't drink formula (ebf til 8 / 9 months) and we're getting most of their calcium from other dairy products.

The teats of bottles can harbour milk residue so should be hot washed / sterilised / dishwasher but if you use a normal beaker I wouldn't bother (in fact I didn't bother at all)

[drspouse]

Well, I was told (I think by HV that dishwasher is fine at any age on a hot cycle. But it takes such a long time that it's just much quicker to use microwave/steriliser/even cold water sterilising.

We use the disks that they sell to put on the bottle to mix up formula powder and water and accidentally didn't take the disks out of the rings a few times. Dishwasher AND steriliser and they still grew a horrid growth. I will keep on sterilising as clearly those (flat disks) have enough crevices to grow something!

[TwoLittleTerrors]

I think the sterilisation is for bottle teats too, same as stubbed. I only sterilise bottles for DD1. With DD2 I have thrown away the steriliser so there isn't a way to do any!

I don't even wash all their weaning things in the dishwasher. Some are handwashed only.

[drspouse]

I've never heard to sterilise anything for food, just milk items but after our experience with the mixing disks that means EVERYTHING that is used for milk.

[squizita]

With expressed milk, it's almost the opposite. It lasts for something like 7 days in the fridge (safely according to most guidelines) and seems to clean off very easily.
I sterilised expressed milk bottles before 6 months. I still hand wash and sterilise my pump because it has nooks and crannies iyswim.